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Yesterday’s short drive was successful, so we started today with the rover parked at stop #3 of the dune campaign and the rover’s arm up in the “ready out” position. The Sol 1637 plan starts out with a couple of Mastcam atmospheric observations, followed by ChemCam analysis of two targets on a nearby sand ripple. The target “Spragueville” is in the ripple trough and “Ripogenus” is on the ripple crest. Mastcam will document both targets, and will take a couple of small mosaics of the sand ripples that are visible from our new location. Mastcam also will document the ChemCam AEGIS target from sol 1636, and collect some multispectral images of an area where the rover’s wheel disturbed the sand, called “Hildreths.”

In the afternoon, MAHLI will take pictures of the targets “Ripogenus,” “Spragueville,” and the small ripple crest “Shin Brook.” APXS will then analyze “Spragueville” and “Ripogenus.” Throughout the day, Mastcam will also periodically be taking images of the target “Holmes Hole” to watch for any changes.

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About the Authors

Ryan Anderson is a Research Geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center. Ryan has a background in Physics and Astronomy and received his PhD in Planetary Science from Cornell University. His research helped lead to the selection of the Gale crater landing site for the Curiosity rover, and he is on the science team for the ChemCam instrument on Curiosity. Ryan is involved in Curiosity operations as ChemCam science payload downlink lead (sPDL) and science payload uplink lead (sPUL), as well as keeper of the plan (KOP) for the Geology and Mineralogy theme group. Ryan is also a member of the science team for the SuperCam instrument on the upcoming 2020 rover. Ryan is interested in deciphering the history of Mars through quantitative geomorphology and spectroscopy. He also is very interested in using computers to help scientists do better science through machine learning and other techniques.

Lauren Edgar is a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center. She earned her bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in Geology from the California Institute of Technology. Prior to the USGS, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU. Lauren is an active member of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Mars Exploration Rover (MER) science teams, serving as a Geology and Mineralogy Theme Lead on MSL, and as a Payload Uplink Lead for the Microscopic Imager and Engineering Cameras on MER. Her research aims to understand martian surface processes through the use of rover and orbital observations and terrestrial field analogs. She uses sedimentology, stratigraphy, and geomorphology to infer past processes involving water, wind, ice, and volcanic activity, and to identify potentially habitable environments on Mars.

Ken Herkenhoff is also a research geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center. Ken studied geology at the University of California, Berkeley and earned his PhD in planetary science at Caltech working with Mariner 9 images of the south polar layered deposits on Mars. He earned a doctorate in Planetary Sciences at Caltech in 1989 and was a post-doc and research scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Ken was involved in several planetary missions, including Mars Observer, Cassini, and Mars Pathfinder. The success of Mars Pathfinder and its Sojouner rover led to his involvement in the MER rovers as science lead for the Microscopic Imagers (MI). Ken serves as polar geology theme lead for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission. He is also a Co-Investigator on the MSLMastcam/MAHLI/MARDI and ChemCam science teams, and is involved in rover operations as MAHLIPUL and Science Operations Working Group (SOWG) chair.

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